What If?
by Kidphd
Summary: What if Jill didn't get shot in A Matter of Justice? This is how I think it might go.


This is an alternative to the first scene from A Matter of Justice, taking up from when Mike was seating Jill at her table.

Mike pulled out the chair for Jill and then moved to his side of the table. Before sitting down though, he noticed a man arguing with the maître d'. The guy looked like he hadn't had 50 bucks in his pocket in a long time. His police training told him something was off about the guy and Mike was instantly on alert. Sure enough, the man began to yell and then pulled a gun. Before he could start shooting though, Mike had Jill on the ground and he was on top of her, shielding her. When there was a lull in the shooting, Mike knocked their table over and shoved Jill behind it.

"Stay here! Do NOT move until I come for you." and then he began moving closer to the shooter. Having counted the shots, he knew the man would have to reload. When it appeared he was not, Mike stood and ran towards the shooter, launching himself the last few feet to knock him to the ground. He flipped the guy over, ready to subdue him further but saw that he had knocked him unconscious. He grabbed the cord from a nearby drape and tied him up. Another man at the restaurant came over and asked if he could help so Mike left him in charge of the unconscious man.

"Call the police and an ambulance," Mike barked at the waiter standing frozen by the kitchen doors. "Now!" Mike shouted, which shocked the waiter into action. Mike found the shooter's gun, wrapped it in a napkin and shoved it into his belt. Then he went looking for Jill.

He headed back to their table, where he'd left her but she wasn't there. He nearly panicked but then heard Jill call "Mike, I need your belt!" He rushed over to kneel beside Jill and reached for her shoulder. She had blood all over her hands. "I told you to stay put!" Mike couldn't keep the panic from his voice. Jill could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice, and feel it in the pressure from his touch that he was scared, not something she was used to seeing in Mike. "The blood's not mine, Sweetheart. It's his and I need your belt for a tourniquet." Mike blew out the breath he was holding and took his belt off. "Put it around his leg, above the wound and cinch it tight." Then Jill wadded the corner of the tablecloth and put it into the hands of the woman sitting on the floor next to her. She took the woman's hands and pressed them over the wound in the man's leg. "You need to keep pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. Press hard, even if it hurts him. Can you do that?" The woman nodded and Jill squeezed her arm and gave her a reassuring smile. Even with the fear that had so recently clutched at Mike's heart, he couldn't help but admire his wife and how she had so easily switched into medical mode. Her calm confidence was just what this couple needed and he was so proud of her.

Jill casually wiped the man's blood off her hands and reached for Mike. "Help me up? We need to see if there are more wounded. I'll look over here and you go over there." With a squeeze of their hands, they separated and began triage. The first person Mike came to was the florist. Unfortunately, the two bullet holes to the man's chest clearly indicated that he wasn't just wounded; he was dead. Mike checked for a pulse anyway and then put his hand on the wife's shoulder, "I'm sorry." Then he moved to see if there were others. Fortunately, it appeared that the shooter was not a very good shot and he'd only come with six bullets to spend. When Mike didn't find anyone else, he sought out Jill, wanting to have close contact with her, after what had happened.

He found her tying a makeshift sling for a woman who was clutching her right forearm. "I think you may have broken your arm so make sure you go with the ambulance to the hospital to have it x-rayed." Mike filled her in on what he'd found just as the police and ambulance workers arrived. Mike went over to speak with the cops while Jill directed the men with the stretchers to the most seriously injured. By the time they were done, it was close to 11. Mike found Jill sitting and leaning her head back against the wall. Even though she was clearly exhausted by the night's events, she wouldn't close her eyes and rest. She wanted to keep Mike in her sights, to know where he was and that he was okay.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked? "Yes", she sighed and took his hands as he helped her to her feet. They remained in physical contact with one another the whole way home. Once inside their apartment, Jill turned and leaned into Mike, who put his arms around her. "I need a shower", she said. "Do you want some company?" Mike asked. Jill sighed "Yes, please". "I'll join you in a minute" Mike said, as he unzipped her dress. Jill headed into the bathroom and Mike leaned back against the door and scrubbed his face and hair with his hands. He couldn't believe how close it had been tonight. He was used to dealing with dangerous situations but definitely not with his wife in danger, too. He pushed off from the door and began shedding his clothes, dropping them carelessly on the floor as he made his way into the bathroom.

Jill was already in the shower and he slipped in beside her. She immediately reached for him and they stood under the warm spray together. Mike pressed his lips to Jill's neck and held her tightly. When he didn't say anything for a bit, Jill pulled back to look at him. Mike's head was bowed and Jill saw that he was crying, something she had rarely seen him do. "Oh, Sweetheart" and Jill cupped his face with both hands and kissed him. The words rushed out of Mike. "I was so scared tonight. When that guy started shooting, I was afraid I couldn't protect you."

Jill kissed him again and moved her hands around his neck. "But you did," she said, as she began to tear up. "You protected me with your body. I was so afraid something was going to happen to you!" and she tugged on his hair. "I don't ever want to lose you," they said in unison. The both smiled and touched foreheads. That had released some of the tension they'd been carrying. "I don't want to be lost," Jill said. "Me neither, said Mike.

Jill pressed her lips to Mike's and said "I don't want to be afraid anymore… or think about what might have happened. I want to be happy for what we have right now." Mike wrapped his arms more firmly around Jill, kissing her deeply, before saying "I'm happy that we're here...together." As their kissing deepened, Mike asked "Bed?". Jill smiled, "Yes, please."

They dried off as quickly as possible and headed to bed where they made love. Afterwards, as they lay in each other's arms, Mike brushed a strand of hair from Jill's face and said "This is perfect; you and me here together. I want to grow old with you, Mrs. Danko." Jill smiled and said "Well, I'm afraid everything is going to change, Mr. Danko." Mike wrinkled his brow, "Why's that?" "Because in about 7 months, it's going to be you and me and baby makes three."


End file.
